On Sunday, August 23rd, WWE presented the 2020 edition of SummerSlam. It was the promotions first event featuring the new Thunderdome concept. While opinions on the idea vary, one thing is for sure; two new champions were crowned at SummerSlam. In the first championship match, Asuka faced Sasha Banks in her second match of the night. Earlier in the evening, the empress of tomorrow faced Bayley for the SmackDown women’s championship. With the help of Banks, Bayley retained with a small package rollup. However, before that, Asuka appeared to have the match in hand on several occasions.
Each time it appeared as though Asuka was going to pull out a win, Bayley managed to slip away. As the match approached its closing moments, it was Banks that took the bullet for Bayley. With Bayley resting prone between the ropes, Asuka went for her hip attack. However, as she approached the champion, she was thwarted with Bayley moving and Banks receiving it knocking her off the apron. With Banks lying on the floor, Bayley caught Asuka in a small package rollup for the win. Asuka was unsuccessful in her first attempt at winning one of the WWE singles women’s championships.
However, in the second opportunity of the night, things were much different. While the match was reminiscent of what took, place earlier one thing wasn’t. As the matchup approached its closing moments, a somewhat similar ending appeared to take place. With Bayley on the apron, she avoided Asuka’s hip attack causing Banks to take the hit once again. The result led to Asuka wrapping up Sasha Banks in her Asuka lock until the Boss tapped. The Winner AND NEW Raw Women’s Champion is Asuka.
New Champions Crowned At SummerSlam
Prior to the end, several outstanding exchanges between the two women took place. In each instance, we witnessed Banks struggle to fight off the attempts of Asuka. While she has ultimately succumbed to Asuka’s attempts, her effort can not be ignored.
In the second championship win of the night, the WWE Universal title was on the line. The feud between ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman was drawing to a close. With the likes of Alexa Bliss being a part of this feud and Braun seeming to change his look, things had to come to an end. The question was, would they? The two men battled each other in and out of the ring until it reached its closing moments. With Strowman seeming in control of the match, The Fiend was able to finish off the Monster Among Men. The winner AND NEW WWE Universal Champion the Fiend Bray Wyatt.
While the win was significant, the most notable moment of the match up was after the championship contest. Much to the surprise of those watching the former WWE and Universal Champion, Roman Reigns made a triumphant return. In the process, he battered and beat down both Wyatt and Strowman. He stood atop of both men with the championship. Is this a sign of things to come as Payback approaches?
The yard once again belongs to #TheBigDog @WWERomanReigns. https://t.co/GPOInD0PRf
— WWE (@WWE) August 24, 2020
